


Found and Lost

by an0nymouz



Category: Daredevil (TV), The Defenders (Marvel TV)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:14:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 2,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23065324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/an0nymouz/pseuds/an0nymouz
Summary: Set after Daredevil season 3. Not quite sure timeline wise against Luke Cage/Iron Fist/Jessica Jones.Matt is dead. No, really, this time with a body. After The Defenders, after Daredevil season 3. This is not about how it happens. This is about the different characters finding out.Chapters are not in chronological order.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 18





	1. Claire

Claire uses her key. She still has it, even after all this time. He never asked for it back so she keeps it in her keychain. Even when she was with Luke. She doesn’t get to use it much, or at all, but she keeps it there just in case. Just like how she keeps the burner phone on her at all times, batteries recharged every few days.

She can feel her heart beating so loudly that she wonders if Matt can sense her from blocks away.

“Jess?” Claire calls out while walking through the door. She doesn’t hear any response, so she grips the handles of her medical duffel bag tighter and quickly steps through the narrow hallway. She sees Jessica sitting on the floor, back to the sliding door to Matt’s bedroom, her head between her knees. Claire calls out again.

“Jessica? Where’s Matt?”

Then she turns around and sees him. His boots first, but there he is. Lying face down behind the couch. He’s in his black outfit instead of his Daredevil suit. She guesses he’s not back fully as Daredevil yet, which is understandable after recent events. She runs towards him and kneels down.

“No–” Her instinct tells her first, even before she gets her hands on him. But she flips him over to his back and does the routine checks anyway. She ignores how emptier his eyes are, staring blankly at nothing.

“It’s cold.” Jessica whispers in what sounds like a sob.

Claire notices her eyes filling up with tears. “Come on Matt. Don’t.. Don’t do this to me.” She checks his pulse, nothing. His breathing, nothing. She does compression anyway, because what else can she do?”

“He’s cold, Claire.” Jessica says again, louder.

Claire doesn’t respond for a few moments, just focusing on her actions. “I know… But I don’t know what else to do.” Her tears are flowing freely now. Her hands stutter to a stop, still on top of his heart. She slowly brings one hand up to wipe at her face.

“What happened?” She finally turns to Jessica, exhaling a deep shuddering breath.

“I– I just found him like this.” Jessica doesn’t look up. Her head had been lifted from her knees, just barely, but she’s still staring at the floor just between her toes.

“Are you hurt?” Claire asks.

Jessica looks at her, surprised. “No.” She shakes her head. “No, I’m fine. Probably a little drunk.”

Claire nods, forgoing an audible response. She digs into the side pocket of her bag and pulls out the burner phone. No missed calls, no messages. “Damn it Matt!”

She turns back to Matt sharply, which interested Jessica. Claire starts to pat him down. Nothing in his pockets. She sighs and pauses a moment, one hand goes back to her face to wipe away more tears.

“What are you doing?” Jessica asks, her curiosity piqued.

“We have to call the police.” Claire doesn’t answer the question.

“That doesn’t exactly look like calling the police.”

Claire ignores the question again, and instead stands up and walks towards Jessica.

Jessica instinctively moves into a defensive position, however that position can be in her almost foetal position. “What are..?” Claire reaches for the door handle and starts sliding it. Jessica is getting annoyed at being ignored, but moves aside all the same.

Claire slides the door open and walks towards Matt’s bedside table. She digs through it for a few seconds, before slamming the drawer shut. She straightens up and turns back around to face Jessica. 

“Claire, what the fuck?”

“I’m looking for something…”

“Clearly! What is it?! Finding things is kinda my job, you know.”

Claire perks up when the idea hits her. She runs past Jessica again, now heading towards the cupboard outside the bedroom. She kneels down in front of the chest and she can hear Jessica suck in a breath.

It’s unlocked. Claire doesn’t stop to think about what that means, and she lifts the lid. No red Daredevil suit, which probably means he hadn’t had time to get a new one. She rummages through the random items there when she finds it. She pulls it out and flips it open.

“You were looking for an old ass flip phone?” Jessica is frowning. She observes Claire pressing a button.

Claire cries harder, finding the phone’s battery has died. Minutes passed with Claire holding the phone to her chest, her body shaking with each sob. Jessica just stares, her mind empty and her soul tired.

“You know...” Claire starts, finally. “When I walked away I told him it’s because I don’t want to get a call from him and come just a little too late.” She pauses and takes a breath to calm herself down. She continues, “I told him maybe he should call someone else, because it would be too hard for me to come to that situation.” She pauses again and her next few breaths shudder. “I didn’t consider how difficult it is to find him like this, and to know that he no longer trusts you.”

She holds the two matching burner phones in both her hands. She notices that hers is still alive and Matt’s is dead. She slips Matt’s one into the side pocket hers belonged to. She uses the other one to call 911.


	2. Jessica

Jessica finds herself on top of Matt’s apartment’s roof. She stops a moment to appreciate the giant, bright, neon billboard. It’s tacky, and she wouldn’t admit it, but she enjoys the sheer closeness of it sometimes. A bright light in the middle of her generally dreary life. She lifts up her whiskey bottle to her lips and frowns when she finds it empty.

She hasn’t even checked what time it was. She assumes Matt’s home and is willing to let her in. But she doesn’t knock. She never does.

Jessica turns the door knob a little too sharply and feels the lock break. “Oops,” she says without regret. She swings the door open loudly, especially considering that it’s 3 a.m., but she wouldn’t care even if she was sober. And she definitely isn’t sober at the moment.

She pauses at the top of the stairs, flicks her wrist so the door shuts back, and her other hand reaches out to the banister to steady herself. “Fuck. How many drinks did I have?” she mumbles to herself. Probably louder than she intends to. She looks around the living area. It’s dark, very quiet, and very still. The billboard outside flashes more brightly and she actually likes how it lights up the room. Again, not something she would admit to Matt.

Jessica walks down the steps, and calls out, “Matt? You in here?”

She turns her head to quickly scan his bedroom and finds it empty. She then notices the open window and frowns. She wonders if he had gone out for the night and had forgotten to close it. She walks towards it to close it. That’s when she sees him.

Matt is lying face down on the floor. He is behind the sofa, just a couple steps from the window. She was mistaken. He had just gone in and didn’t get a chance to close the window. 

“Matt?” Her voice shakes now. She quickens her steps and drops down right next to him. He hasn’t moved at all. Even with the darkness she knows for a fact that he’s very still.

“No…” she reaches out and shakes him. “Come on, Matt!” Her voice grows louder as fear consumes her.

She notices that he’s cold. “Fuck.” She stands up, not knowing what to do. She doesn’t notice her tears until one drop starts to fall and rolls down her cheek. “Fuck, Matt, what the fuck happened?!” She’s sobbing now and does the only thing that makes sense to her.

She fishes out her phone out of her jeans pocket and dials Claire’s number. She walks towards Matt’s bedroom, and slides down the door because her legs no longer want to hold her up.

“Jessica? What’s going on? Are you hurt?” Claire asks in quick succession.

Jessica tries to take a deep breath to calm herself down but her voice still shakes. “Matt needs help. Please. His place.” 

“Matt? Is he okay?”

Jessica doesn’t respond. She hears Claire’s movement on the other side. 

“I’ll be there in 15 minutes. Do you want me to stay on the line?”

“No, just get here, please.”

“OK.” Claire hangs up.

Jessica drops her phone on the floor, and her head follows it down just to be caught by her hands. She tries to wipe her tears away but they keep coming. She can’t find it in herself to do anything but sit there, hopeless and helpless, and waits for Claire to come save them.


	3. Foggy

Foggy is determined to ignore it. There’s a knock on the door but it’s Sunday morning and he’s earned his extra hour of sleep. He’s worked late, well into Saturday evening, and he wants his weekend. His one day weekend. Before it all starts again in less than 24 hours. But whoever it is outside his door is probably as determined as he is as there are 3 more loud and steady raps on his door.

He groans, wipes his face with his hand, and sits up. “What now?”

Foggy looks over at Marcy who’s still asleep. Or is better than him at pretending to be asleep. He gets up and walks towards the front door as quietly as he can.

“Yes?” Foggy swings the door open and puts on his most annoyed face. It falls quickly when he finds two police officers on the other side.

“Mr. Nelson?”

“Yes.”

“Sir, I’m very sorry but we have some bad news. Matthew Murdock was found in his apartment yesterday and –”

Foggy is sure the policeman is still speaking but blood is rushing to his ears that he can’t hear properly.

“...What…?” He chokes out, cutting off the officer’s sentence.

“I am very sorry, Mr. Nelson. You’re listed as next of kin.”

“Right.” Foggy pauses. “How..?”

“It’s still under investigation. If you’d like, we can take you to the station. There are people there who would like to speak to you.”

“Who?” Foggy is resigned to one word sentences as his brain refuses to work any harder than that.

“There’s a Claire Temple and a Jessica Jones. They were the ones who found the body.”

“The body…” Foggy still can’t believe it. He still can’t quite process that information. It’s not Matt, it’s the body.

“Would you like to come to the station with us?”

“Uh…” It takes Foggy all of 10 seconds before he can think of an answer. “I mean, yes, I do.” He pauses again. “Just give me… I need to…”

“Take your time, Mr. Nelson. We’ll be right out here.” The policemen step to the side at Foggy’s hallway.

“No, please, come in, I just need to get ready.” Foggy opens the door wider for the two men to come in. He waves a hand at the couch, but they’re not moving towards it to sit down. Foggy isn’t capable of caring at the moment so he walks back into his bedroom.

Foggy is sitting next to Marcy at the back of the squad car, not 20 minutes later. Waking Marcy up wasn’t fun, but he’s glad she’s there with him. She hasn’t let go of Foggy’s hand since they’ve walked out of their apartment.

When they arrive at the police station, Foggy and Marcy are ushered towards the interrogation rooms. Foggy hears a few people who know him and Matt share their condolences but his head is still...well...foggy. He keeps his head down to avoid eye contact.

“Jessica Jones is in this room, and Claire Temple is in the next room.” The officer points to a door. 

Foggy nods but doesn’t say a word.

“I’ll wait out here, Foggy,” Marcy says while nudging Foggy forwards, seeing as he isn’t moving on his own.

“Right. Yeah. Okay.” Foggy finally says and opens the door. He sees Jessica slumped down in a chair. One hand is handcuffed to the table and he knows it’s only because she lets it.

Jessica looks up when the door opens. Her eyes widen but she doesn’t say anything.

Foggy takes a seat at the other side of the table, and finds his throat suddenly very dry.

There’s silence for much longer than other people would find comfortable, but in this room, at this moment, that’s the only thing that makes sense.

Jessica offers, “sorry.”

“Yeah, thanks.” Foggy catches her eyes. He sees that she’s been crying. “You too.” He watches her give a slight nod.

“You found him?”

“Yeah…” Jessica looks to the side to avoid Foggy’s eyes. “It was my fault.”

“We both know that’s not true. Unless you’re the one who beat him and cut his side open, you’re just the unlucky one who has to see him like that.”

Jessica looks back at Foggy. “You know the last time I talked to Matt he was apologizing to me.”

“He’s always apologizing.”

“Yeah, but…” Jessica pauses. “The first time we met. Midland Circle. I  _ left _ him there. I got out with the others, taking the elevator up knowing that was his only way out, and left him.”

“He stayed there because he wanted to. I know I wasn’t there, but I know M–” Foggy’s throat suddenly closes up and he coughs to clear it. “I  _ knew _ Matt well enough to know that it would have been his choice.”

“I have super strength. I could have knocked him out and dragged him up. I left him to die.” Foggy doesn’t get a moment to interrupt before Jessica continues. “He died for us, came back to life, and he fucking apologized to me.”

“Jess, I know, I was in the same position too, I know you were probably upset that he didn’t tell you.”

“He sacrificed himself and he apologized for being alive, Foggy. Can’t you understand how insane that is?”

Foggy nods and looks down. Guilt is starting to bubble inside him. “I know…”

“I was upset. It was stupid. He came to talk and I said I wasn’t ready to talk, so the last thing he said to me was ‘sorry.’ The last memory I’ll ever have of Matt fucking Murdock is him apologizing for not dying because I didn’t help him.”

“Jess, this is  _ not _ your fault!”

“I came to his place angry, you know. I wanted to yell at him for… I don’t even know what for. I should have been happy he was back. I really was. I missed him, and the only way I could tell him that was to not talk to him and then yell at him.”

Foggy reaches out to hold Jessica’s bound hand. Slowly, because he doesn’t want any of his bones broken. He notices Jessica flinch before their hands touch but he’s glad she doesn’t try to move away. They sit in silence for a few minutes.

“Jess, do not blame yourself. Please. Matt’s done that enough for the rest of us.” Jessica smirks.

“Foggy, you’re a good friend, you know. He’s your best friend and here you are comforting  _ me _ .”

Foggy smiles. “Thanks Jess. Sorry to leave you alone, but I think I should go check on Claire as well.”

Jessica nods and Foggy stands up and leaves the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it focuses more on Jessica at the end there when the chapter is supposed to be about Foggy. I just love Matt/Jess so much.


	4. Karen

“Hey, Foggy!” Karen answers her phone on the first ring.

Foggy pauses, if anything just to give Karen an extra second or two of blissful happiness. Happiness that he’s about to crush. “Hey, Karen.”

“What’s up?”

“Um…” How do you say this to a friend? 

“Oh God, what happened? Is something wrong? Are you hurt?”

Bless her for her concern. “It’s Matt…”

“Matt?”

“I’m really sorry Karen.”

“No!”

“They found him last night.”

“No…” Her sob comes through loud and clear on the phone.

“I’m at the police station, and they–”

“I’ll be right there.”

“No, I didn’t call you to come here. I just wanted to be the one to tell you.”

“No, Foggy, I need to be there.”

“Right. Okay, see you soon.”

“Bye.”

Karen grabs his purse and runs out the door. While flagging down a taxi she hopes she remembered to lock her door. She tells the driver to go to the police station and wipes the tears off her face. The tears continue to come. “God, Matt…”

She remembers when they first met. She remembers the night she spent at his place, and how safe he made her feel. She remembers his laughter and their kisses. She remembers how angry she had been with him when she found out about Daredevil and his lies and his secrets.

When the taxi stops in front of the police station, she remembers the hope that was growing of their repaired relationship.

Karen hands $30 to the driver and ignores the change. Instead, she opens the door and steps out, slams the door harder than she expected, and runs into the station. She’s about to find an officer to talk to when she sees Marci, sitting down on a plastic chair in the corner of the room.

“Marci!” She calls out.

“Karen, hi.” Marci stands up and walks over to Karen. She opens her arms up for a hug.

Karen returns the hug and takes a deep breath.

“I’m so sorry, Karen.”

“Yeah, me too. Where’s Foggy?”

“Interview room with Jessica Jones or Claire Temple.” Marci points towards the hallway that leads up to where Foggy is.

Karen walks down the hallway, right when a door opens and Foggy steps out of the interview room with Jessica.

“Oh God, Foggy!” Karen calls out.

“Karen,” Foggy says.

They hug, and Karen’s tears start falling again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really have any ideas for other characters at the moment so I'm gonna leave this here. May or may not update in the future if an idea comes.


End file.
